Garment hanger and folder



Feb. 22, 1938. RlcHTER 2,109,141

GARMENJ. HANGER AND FOLDER Filed April 6, 1957 F -E 4- x4 Tial5 INVENTbR Gus Bic/tier ATTORNEY.

Patented Feb. 22, 1938 GARMENT HANGER AND FOLDER Gus Richter, New York, N. Y.

Application April 6, 1937, Serial No. 135,224

3 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in combination garment hanger and folder.

Objects:-

Among the principal objects which the present invention has in View are:to provide a carrying device having means for retaining garments or the like in uniformly folded condition; to be enabled to hand the device and/or carry the same with garments therein; to provide removable retaining hangers when desiring to hang the device in a trunk, travelling suitcase, wardrobe closet, and/or other convenient places when used for inspecting purposes; to present a compact and easily manipulated and self adjusted hanger and folder for garments, such as dresses,

gowns and other articles of wear; to provide a garment folder with means whereby the same is retained snugly in the interior of the carrying device; to provide a garment folder within a carrying device for holding garments or the like whereby the garments or the like will be prevented from becoming distorted, wrinkled, unshapely or otherwise unfit to Wear immediately upon removal from the folder and carrying device; to be enabled to easily and conveniently release the folder for removing and replacing garments or the like thereto; to be enabled to adjust the folder to receive garments of varying sizes; to be enabled to detach one folding member before inserting a garment therein and/or before removing a garment therefrom; to secure simplicity of construction, operation and low cost to manufacture; and to obtain other advantages and results as may be brought out in the following description.

Drawing:-

Figure 1 is a front elevation showing a carrying device in open condition and the garment folder in place therein;

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view and showing the folder in elevation as in released position and as extending outwardly from the device;

Figures 3 and 4 are elevational views of one corner of a carrying device and showing slightly modified construction of the means for snugly holding the folder within the device and released therefrom; and

Figure 5 is a modified construction of the means utilized when the folder is to be used for retaining garments of varying sizes.

Description:

As will be seen by the drawing; the invention comprises in its general aspect, a folder device In which may be operatively mounted in any suitable compartment or container II for receiving garments and folding them into convenient space Without wrinkling the garments or causing any unsightly creases therein. The invention is not limited to use of any particular garment or type of garment, it being equally applicable to use with dresses and gowns or mens, womens or childrens coats, cloaks, suits or mens or boys trousers. Likewise the invention is not limited to a particular design, style or type of container, the invention contemplating use in connection with both hand luggage and all types of heavier baggage such as Pullman cases, trunks and so forth. In the specific embodiment of the invention illustrated, the container H is shown as a wardrobe suitcase having a body portion I? to which is hinged or otherwise secured a lid !3. The mechanical details of the construction of the case need not be entered into except to say that the body portion is preferably sufficiently rigid in character to provide a compartment of definite size and to provide a support for both the folding device therein and to garments to be carried thereby. It may accordingly be of covered wood frame or box construction and may have one end sloping to a midpoint as in Figures 1 and 2 for accommodating the usual shape of coat and garment hangers, or may be rectangular in shape as indicated in Figures 3 and 4.

According to the showing in Figure 1, a suitable loop Hi is provided at the peak of the end which slopes, said loop enabling the container to be hung in the closet or elsewhere, and for convenience this end will be referred to as the upper end of the container. However, it will be appreciated that the case may assume other positions during use, and in effect, a carrying handle i5 is shown at one side of the container so that there will be times When that side Will 0bviousiy be at the top. However, for brevity and convenience the assumed position will be considered as mounted throughout the following description. At the inside of the peak of the upper end of the container is provided a hanger bar it securely mounted for receiving the usual hooks of conventional coat hangers (not shown) on which garments are ordinarily hung in closets or elsewhere. The length of the container from the said upper end to this lower end, is less than the usual length of a garment, and consequently when the garment is hung by a hanger suspended from hanger bar it, the lower part of the garment will extend below the lower end of the container. The cover 53 heretofore mentioned is preferably hinged at the lower end of the container and is preferably flexible, and the suspended garments will fall against this cover and be kept from engagement with the floor or other surfaces by presence of the flexible cover should the container be either hung at the low point or actually resting ,upon the fioor or other surfaces.

Within the containerand forming part of device I0, is a removable rack I! having cross bars the pleats will permit the rack I! to be tilted out p of the container or returned into the container;

The upper ends of the side rails similarly extend above the uppermost cross bar, and are resilient and tend to spread apart, asindicated in dotted lines, to a greater width than the width of the container. These upper ends will therefore exert a resilient holding grip upon the walls of the container and will prevent the rack from tilting out of the container except when actually removed therefrom by the user. Furthermore, the cleatsr22 are shown each having several pivot holes 2| enabling the rack to be adjusted as to its pivotal position and its relation 7 to the garment.

eye 24 on one end permanently linked in an eye 25 projecting from one of the cleats 22, and shown as havingat its other end a hook 26 engageable within an eye 25 of the other cleat. The said bar 23 may thus be extended across the container in spaced relation and parallel to the back wall 21 of the container, and will constitute a means about which the garment can befolded.

In use, the rack may be entirely removed from the container if so desired, but inmost instances will probably only be swung upon its pivots to extend in a direction away from the upper end of the container, likewise the bar 23 may be unhooked, and swung to one side. A garment, still retained upon its conventional coathanger can then be hung from the hanger bar l6 extending out in front of both the rack and the cover I3. The garment will thus be in its smooth hanging condition, after which bar 23 is hooked in place in front of the garment. Then by swinging the rack ll upwardly into place the lower part of the garment'is carried upwardly with the rack folding around bar 23 and also front to one of the cross bars l8 depending somewhat upon the length of the garment. 'The very smoothfolding of the garment is thus attainedand with the least difliculty and manipulation of the garment or the mechanical parts of the container. The above description refers only to one garment for purposes of simplicity, but it will be understood that usually of the container. The bar therefore enables the user to pack only so many garments as the thickness of which will permit them to nicely fill the container.

Before closing this description, I would point out that the cover I3 is preferably provided with separable fasteners 28 around the free edges thereof which will cooperatewith similar fasteners 29 at the sides and top of the container so 7 that when the cover is swung to overlie the front opening of the container the separable fasteners may be caused to interlock by manipulation of a slide 30. The cover is thus drawn tightly closed l. it

over the opening and securely held until the sliders are manipulated to again free the cover. Furthermore I wish to point out the fact that while the upper ends of the side rails of the rack place. (Heat 22 in Figs. 1 and 2 has been indicated to be of an elbow shape so as to provide a vertical portion with the pivot holes and the lateral portion for securing lower folding bar 23 in proper position. However, 'the pivoting and supporting mentioned may be accomplished by a diagonally positioned cleat 22' as shown in. Figure 5.

Additional details of construction preferred to be included as part of the commercial struc: ture, may be stated as utilizing a'roller for any or all of the several cross bars. fication of this feature, it will be noted that the upper cross bar I8 is shown as being rotatable, preferably having its end reduced and'inserted As exemplithrough side rails and headed beyond the said side rails with sufficient play to enable the same to rotate. Similarly, the lower cross bar 23 between the cleats is likewise a rotatable structure, conveniently made as a central bar with a tubular outer member thereon, This rotatable struc ture of cross bars will enable the same to adjust itself more readily with respect to the garment when the garment is being folded about the said cross bars. Likewise, I have shown finger pieces 3| next the upper ends of the upwardly projecting resilient portions of the cross bars to enable the user to more readily manipulate, espetwo opposed walls, a pair of side rails spaced apart a less distance than the'inside dimension of the container between said 'two opposed walls of the container, a plurality of fixed cross-bars extending transversely of said rails for retaining the rails in spaced relation, opposed cleats on said opposed walls, said cleats having each a plurality of pivot holes, and each side rail having oneend thereof flexible and provided with a pivot stud directed toward the cleat to be removably mounted in any one of said: pivot holes for pivotal support thereof and adjustable mounting of the said device, the opposite ends of said rails having resilient portions normally spreading to resiliently engage said walls for retaining the device within the container.

2. A garment folder and hanger device comprising in combination with a container having two opposed walls, a pair of side rails spaced apart a less distance than the inside dimension of the container between said two opposed walls of the container, a plurality of fixed cross-bars extending transversely of said rails for retaining the rails in spaced relation, opposed cleats on said opposed walls, means for pivotally mounting the side rails at one end of each upon said cleats, the opposite ends of said rails having resilient portions normally spreading to resiliently engage said walls for retaining the device within the container, and a cross bar about which garments may be folded, said bar having means for attaching its opposite ends to the opposed cleats.

3. A garment folder and hanger device comprising in combination with a container having two opposed walls, a pair of side rails spaced apart a less distance than the inside dimension of the container between said two opposed walls of the container, a plurality of fixed cross-bars extending transversely of said rails for retaining the rails in spaced relation, opposed cleats on said opposed walls, means for pivotally mounting the side rails at one end of each upon said cleats, the opposite ends of said rails having resilient portions normally spreading to resiliently engage said Walls for retaining the device within the container, and a cross bar about which garments may be folded, said bar having means for attaching its opposite ends to the opposed cleats, one end of said cross bar being releasable from its cleat.

GUS RICHTER. 

